System and method for rating an IP-based wireless telecommunications based on access point

ABSTRACT

A subscriber communicates over an IP-based wireless telecommunications network through an access point. Identifiers associated with the access point (e.g., MAC address IP address, FQDN . . . ) are stored in a database. Each access point is mapped into one or more service zones, where service zones are mapped to service types. The subscriber has a rate plan that is based on a selection of one or more service types. When a wireless connection between the subscriber and the IP-based wireless telecommunications network is established, the access point identifiers are used to retrieve a service zone ID from the database. Upon completion of the communication, a call detail record can be generated that includes the service zone ID for the communication. The billing system can then retrieve billing plan information to determine an appropriate rate for the subscriber based on the service zone ID.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This utility patent application is a division of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/493,120, filed Jun. 26, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,565,721,which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/039,906, filed Apr. 10, 2008, which is a U.S. National Stageapplication of International Application No. PCT/US06/41225, filed Oct.20, 2006, which claims the benefit under 35 United States Code § 365 ofInternational Application No. PCT/US06/39688, entitled “SYSTEM ANDMETHOD FOR BILLING IP-BASED WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN A CONVERGEDNETWORK”, which was filed on Oct. 11, 2006, which claims the benefitunder 35 United States Code § 119 of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/726,105, which was filed Oct. 12, 2005.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to billing systems in convergedtelecommunication networks. More specifically, the present invention isrelated to billing systems and methods for rating communications thatare made through a point of access into an IP-based wirelesstelecommunication network based on various identifiers associated withthe point of access.

BACKGROUND

A variety of technologies enable telecommunication services to beoffered using Internet Protocol (IP). Commonly referred to as Voice overIP, or VoIP, such technologies enable telecommunications on any publicor private IP network, including the Internet. VoIP technology permits auser to receive 1P-based telecommunications services through a varietyof devices, including a desktop computer, a notebook computer, an analoghandset used in conjunction with a VoIP telephone adapter, aVoIP-enabled handset, or other like device.

Increasingly, mobile devices, such as notebook computers, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), wireless handhelds, wireless handsets, orother similar devices, are also being enabled to receive IP-basedtelecommunications services. Such services are provided by enabling themobile device to communicate with a wireless router and access anyIP-based wireless access network, such as a network based on the IEEE802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA),Ultra Wideband (UWB), 802.11 wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Bluetoothstandards.

Moreover, dual-mode mobile telecommunications devices may be enabled tocommunicate with any IP-based wireless access network. For instance,Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology allows wireless serviceproviders to merge cellular networks, such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) networks, and IP-based wireless networks into oneseamless service with one mobile device, one user interface, and acommon set of network services for both voice and data. UMA technologyhas recently been accepted into release 6 of the 3rd GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) standard as a General Access Network (GAN).With UMA or GAN solutions, subscribers may move between cellularnetworks and IP-based wireless networks with seamless voice and datasession continuity as transparently as they move between cells withinthe cellular network. Seamless in-call handover between the IP-basedwireless network and cellular network ensures that the user's locationand mobility do not affect the services delivered to the user. Servicesmay be identical whether connected over the IP-based wireless network orthe cellular network. UMA technology effectively creates a parallelradio access network, the UMA network, which interfaces to the mobilecore network using standard mobility-enabled interfaces. The mobile corenetwork remains unchanged. The common mobile core network makes itpossible for the service provider to have full service and operationaltransparency. The existing service provider Business Support Systems(BSS), service delivery systems, content services, regulatory compliancesystems, and Operation Support Systems (OSS) can support the UMA networkwithout change. Service enhancements and technology evolution of themobile core network apply transparently to both cellular access and UMA.

The present disclosure has identified a number of problems in billingsystems for converged networks such as UMA. Although the convergence ofcellular and IP-based wireless telecommunications technologies offersubstantial benefits to users, cellular service providers face manyobstacles in implementing the IP-based component of converged productand service offerings. Service providers must implement new methods andsystems, or adapt methods and systems currently implemented for thecellular component of their networks, of rating and billing of users'wireless communications. Cellular service providers' billing systems canbe arranged to interpret and scale for cellular-based call detailrecords. As such, cellular service providers are ill equipped to handlebilling based on access points and broadband Internet networks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with referenceto the following drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example converged wireless network system thatcombine a cellular telephone network with an IP-based wirelesstelecommunications network.

FIG. 1B illustrates another example converged system that combines acellular telephone network with an IP-based wireless telecommunicationsnetwork.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an IP-based network systemand billing operations using service zones for billing operationsaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a conceptual diagram illustrating the mappings betweenservice zones, service types and subscribers in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 3B is a conceptual diagram illustrating the mapping of servicezones to access points.

FIG. 3C is a conceptual diagram illustrating the mapping of servicetypes to service zones.

FIG. 3D is a conceptual diagram illustrating the mapping of subscribersto service types.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a particularsubscriber and various service types and service zones.

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating communication interactions forregistering a subscriber in a service zone onto an IP-based network.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating communication interactions for usingservice zone information to generate a bill for an IP-basedcommunication.

FIG. 6A is a flow chart illustrating a logic flow for registering amobile device in a service zone onto an IP-based network.

FIG. 6B is a flow chart illustrating a logic flow for initiating acommunication with a registered mobile device that accesses an IP-basedcommunication through a service zone.

FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a logic flow for using service zoneinformation to generate a bill for an IP-based communication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, andwhich show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments forpracticing the invention. This disclosure may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope to those skilled in the art. Among other things, thepresent disclosure may be embodied as methods or devices. Accordingly,the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combiningsoftware and hardware aspects. The following detailed description is,therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Briefly stated, the present disclosure relates to a system and methodfor rating communications by a subscriber through an access point overan IP-based wireless telecommunications network. Identifiers associatedwith the access point (e.g., MAC address IP address, FQDN . . . ) arestored in a database. Each access point is mapped into one or moreservice zones, where service zones are mapped to service types. Thesubscriber has a rate plan that is based on a selection of one or moreservice types. When a wireless connection between the subscriber and theIP-based wireless telecommunications network is established, the accesspoint identifiers are used to retrieve a service zone ID from thedatabase. Upon completion of the communication, a call detail record(CDR) can be generated that includes the service zone ID for thecommunication. The billing system can then retrieve billing planinformation to determine an appropriate rate for the subscriber based onthe service zone ID.

Example IP-based wireless communication networks include VoIP networksand/or converged wireless networks that include a combination ofcellular networks and IP-based wireless telecommunications networks(e.g., unlicensed mobile access or UMA network technologies). Asubscriber can access a VoIP network with a dual-mode wirelesstelecommunication device via a wireless connection with an access point.The dual-mode wireless telecommunication device can access either acellular network or an IP-based wireless telecommunications network,such as a UMA network, thereby allowing mobile devices to roam voice,data and multimedia communications between conventional cellularnetworks and wireless local area network access points at home, in theoffice and at public areas (e.g., hot spots). Communications aretransferred between the networks depending on whether the access pointis in range or not, permitting users to transparently connect to thefastest or lowest cost network.

The described rating system may be useful in situations where uniquebilling plans are desired that permit unlimited or discounted callingzones based a single access point or based on a collection of accesspoints. Access points are mapped to service zones. Every service zoneoperates similar to a “virtual” cell in a cellular telecommunicationsnetwork. The “virtual” cell ID corresponds to the service zoneidentifier, which can be injected into the billing system such as viaone or more fields in a call detail record (CDR). Each access point canhave its own service zone, or be part of a seamless service zone thatincludes any number of access points. Since the service zones are notgeographically bound, rate plans can be established in any number ofunique ways as will become apparent.

Each subscriber can select a billing rate plan that can have a uniquegrouping of access points in its available service zones. In someexamples, the billing rate plan can include a preferred service zonethat has no per-minute charge for access. In other examples, the billingrate plan can include a service zone that is available at a discountedper-minute rate. Various combinations of free access zones anddiscounted zones can be designated together within a service plan.

Example Conversed Telecommunications Networks

FIG. 1A illustrates an example converged wireless network system 100that combines a cellular telephone network with an IP-based wirelesstelecommunications network (e.g., a UMA network). The described system100 accepts registration requests and communication connections from amobile device 110 to either a cellular telephone network or to anIP-based wireless telecommunications network.

The example cellular telephone network includes one or more cell towers120 that are configured to accept cellular communications 112 frommobile device 110. The cell towers 120 are connected to a controller(such as base station controller/radio network controller (BSC/RNC)) 176via a private network 190. The private network 190 can include a varietyof connections such as T1 lines, a wide area network (WAN), a local areanetwork (LAN), various network switches, and other similar components.Cell tower controller 176 controls network communication traffic to thecarrier network 190, where all communications are managed. An examplecarrier network 190 includes a switch (such as a mobile switching center(MSC)) 192, which is configured to control data/call flows, perform loadbalancing, as well as other functions. A variety of system databases mayalso be accessed in the carrier network such as an operation supportsubsystem (OSS) database 194, a business support system (BSS) database196, and a central subscriber database that contains details of acarrier's subscribers (such as a home location register (HLR)) 198, forbilling, communication logging, etc.

The example IP-based wireless network includes one or more access points(APs) 140 that can accept IP communications 114 from mobile device 110.An access point can be configured as part of a wireless network in oneor more locations such as a public network 142, a home network 144, or aprivate business network 146. Each access point is coupled to anInternet Protocol (IP) network 150 through a broadband connection. IPpackets that carry communications (data, voice, SMS, etc.) are routedfrom the access points to a security gateway (SGW) 171 through the IPnetwork 150. The security gateway controls access to the networkcontroller 166, which communicates with a database 168 for loggingand/or accessing various data associated with communications. Thenetwork controller 166 is also configured to manage access with thecarrier network 190 in a similar manner to that performed by the BSC/RNC176.

Authentication of a request for access by a mobile device over theIP-based network is handled by the security gateway 171, whichcommunicates with an authentication, accounting and authorization (AAA)module 172 as shown in FIG. 1A. Challenges and responses to requests foraccess by the mobile device are communicated between central subscriberdatabase 198 and the AAA module 172. When authorization is granted, thesecurity gateway 171 communicates the assignment of an IP address to themobile device 110 that requested access. Once the IP address is passedto the mobile device 110 by the security gateway 171, the public IPaddress assigned to the device is passed to the network controller 166.

FIG. 1B illustrates another example converged system 100′ that combinesa cellular telephone network with an IP-based wirelesstelecommunications network (e.g., a UMA network). The described system100′ accepts registration requests and communication connections from amobile device 110 to either a cellular telephone network (not shown) orto an IP-based wireless telecommunication network. The system 100′includes one or more access points (AP) 140 that accept communications114 from mobile device 110. Each access point is coupled to an IPnetwork 150 through a broadband connection. IP network 150 is configuredto route communications (data, voice, SMS, etc.) between the accesspoints 140 and a security gateway (SGW) 171. The security gateway 171controls access to the network controller 166, which communicates with adatabase (not shown) for logging and accessing various data associatedwith communications. Authentication, accounting, and authorization arehandled by SGW 171 via AAA module 172, as previously described.

For the example system 100′, the signaling path of an IP-basedcommunication is routed through the network controller 166 to a mobileswitching system (MSS) 180, while the voice bearer path is routedthrough the network controller 166 to a media gateway (MGW) 182. Thesignaling portion of a communication governs various overhead aspects ofthe communication such as, for example, when the communication starts,when the communication stops, initiating a telephone ring, etc. Thevoice bearer portion of the communication contains the actual content(either data or voice information) of the communication. The MOW 182controls the content flow between the service provider and the mobiledevice 110, while the MSS 180 controls the signaling flow (or controlsoverhead-related flow) between the service provider and the mobiledevice 110.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the components of a converged communicationsystem that can be used for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)communication devices. Each access point 140 can include a wirelessrouter and a broadband modem that enable connection to an InternetProtocol (IP) network 150. A signaling gateway can be operated by aservice provider to converts the VoIP signal to a traditional phoneservice signal. The phone signal can then be conveyed to the intendedrecipient via a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

When a mobile device accesses IP-based wireless network 150, informationis initially formatted in the cellular system's native protocol and thenencapsulated into Internet Protocol (IP) packets, transmitted to accesspoint 140, and communicated over the Internet to the cellular serviceprovider's mobile core network. Such transmissions bypass the serviceprovider's existing network of radio towers. Because the same cellularprotocols are used in communications involving IP access points as withtraditional radio towers, the cellular service provider maintains alarge degree of system compatibility even though using an IP-basednetwork. The systems of the cellular service provider that delivercontent and handle mobility may not even need to be aware that asubscriber's mobile device is on an IP-based wireless telecommunicationsnetwork. The system may instead assume the mobile device is on itsnative cellular network. The IP network is therefore abstracted withrespect to the cellular network, regardless of whether the mobile deviceconnects to the cellular network via a base station (for licensedspectrum access) or a wireless access point (for licensed, semilicensedand/or unlicensed spectrum access).

The IP-based networks that can be accessed via wireless access point 140can be any appropriate IP connectivity mechanism such as, but notlimited to, a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) modem, a cable modem, asatellite modem, or any other broadband Internet connection. The accesspoints may be public or private, and may be located in a subscriber'shome, in other apartments or residences, in public locations such ascoffee shops, libraries, or schools, or in corporate locations.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an IP-based network system200 using service zones for billing operations according to oneembodiment. In one example, existing fields from a call detail record(CDR) are utilized to store information that identifies a service zoneas will be described. By reusing fields from an existing CDR the need tomodify switch equipment is eliminated and thus modifications necessaryto implement the billing system are minimal. The use of a CDR for thispurpose is merely one example, and many others are also contemplated.

Examples of existing call detail record fields include those recordfields defined for 2G and 3G cellular networks in applicablespecifications, such as the 3GPP and 3GPP2 specifications. Furthermore,billing system modifications, especially mediations modifications, maybe minimized by adding a specific flag. This may be accomplished bypopulating (i.e., overloading) an existing field of the CDR such as, forexample, the Mobile Country Code (MCC) subfield portion of the startingCell Global Identifier (CGI) with a specific value. According to someembodiments, the presence of a CDR may be flagged using an existing CDRfield (e.g., MCC). Using an existing field of a CDR minimizes the impactto cellular service provider systems involved in billing subscribers.

In principle, a CGI value is the concatenation of Mobile Country Code(MCC)-Mobile Network Code (MNC)-Location Area Code (LAC)-Cell ID. Theyare used to identify individual transmission cells and the carrier thatoperates them. These CGI values are reported to a network controllerwhen a mobile device registers to the network. The cellular serviceprovider may use these reported CGI values to determine whether or notIP-based wireless telecommunications services should be offered. Forexample, there may be some countries where the cellular service providermay not offer “home” based service. In this case, the cellular serviceprovider could choose not to provide service or to redirect the terminalto another provider. The cellular service provider may further use thereported CGI values to assist in determining the optimum serving networkcontroller for a mobile terminal.

System 200 has the same basic organization as FIGS. 1A and 1B, and likecomponents are labeled identically where appropriate. The describedsystem 200 accepts registration requests and communication connectionsfrom a mobile device 110 to either a cellular telephone network or to anIP-based wireless telecommunications network.

Mobile device 110 can communicate 112 with a nearby cell tower 122 whena cellular based communication is initiated. During the communicationsetup for the cellular based communication, a call detail record (272)is initialized with various CGI values. Example CGI values 272 includeMCC, MNC, LAC and CELLID. Mobile device 110 also communicates via the IPaccess network 150 through a wireless access point 142. The wirelessaccess point 142 is configured to accept IP-based wirelesscommunications 114 from mobile device 110 subject to variousauthentication requirements. IP packets that carry communications (data,voice, SMS, etc.) are routed from access points 142 to a securitygateway (SGW) that controls access to the network controller (NC) 166,which communicates with a database 168 for logging and accessing variousdata associated with the communications. The IP packets are routed fromthe network controller 166 to a switch (such as a mobile switchingcenter (MSC)) 192, which is configured to control data/call flows,perform load balancing, as well as other functions.

Upon completion of a communication, switch 192 generates a CDR 278 thatis utilized by a billing system 280 for mediation 282, guiding 284,rating 286 and generating bills 288. CDR 278 includes CGI information, amobile device or subscriber identifier (such as an International MobileSubscriber Identity (IMSI)), a start time associated with thecommunication, an end time for the communication, and also includes aservice zone identifier. Information that is passed to switch 192 by NC166 is utilized by switch 192 to generate the CDR. In someimplementations, one or more CGI fields can be overloaded withinformation from the NC 166 such that the switch 192 can be unaware ofinformation being passed to the billing system such as the service zoneidentifier associated with the call.

Mobile device (110) communicates its mobile device or subscriberidentifier to NC 166 during the initial communication setup, along withthe initial CGI information, and any other relevant network information.The initial CGI information is associated with the nearby cell tower122, which includes information such as MCC, MNC, LAC and CELL ID. Thewireless access point 142 also can provide its own information to NC 166such as SSID, MAC address, IP address, and FQDN. The NC uses the variousinformation 275 from the access point (e.g., SSID, MAC address, IPaddress and FQDN, . . . ) to access database 168, which returns aservice zone identifier 274.

Database 168 can be used to determine service zone identifier 274 in anynumber of ways based on access point identifier 275. In one example,each service zone identifier is keyed by a single Media Access Control(MAC) address which is a unique identifier that is associated withaccess point 142. In another example, service zone identifier 274 iskeyed by any MAC address that is within a specified range. In yetanother example, service zone identifier 274 is keyed by a specific IPaddress. In still another example, service identifier 274 is keyed byany IP address that is within a specified range. In another example,service zone identifier 274 is keyed by a fully qualified domain name(FQDN), which is an unambiguous domain name that specifies the accesspoint's position in the network. In still another example, service zoneidentifier 274 is keyed by a partial FQDN match.

In some examples, database 168 has uniquely assigned key number that canbe referenced by other databases. A simple interface can be provided foraccessing database 168 that is keyed off of one of the AP identifiers274. In some examples, one of the CGI fields from a CDR is used to storethe value associated with the service zone identifier. In otherexamples, different fields from the CDR can be provided to designate theservice zone. In some implementations, the CDR need not be used and aseparate mechanism can be configured to provide a storage area for theservice zone associated with the access point for a particularcommunication that is under way by a mobile subscriber.

In some examples, the service zone identifier 274 is stored by the NC byoverloading a pre-existing field of the CGI. Switch 192 generates a CDRusing CGI information in addition to other information such as starttime, stop time, a mobile or subscriber identifier, etc. Since IP-basedwireless communications do not utilize the cellular network, someinformation associated with the CGI can be discarded to provide thestorage for the service zone identifier. The CDR, which now can includethe service zone identifier encoded in a CGI field, is communicated tothe billing system from switch 192. When the CGI information isextracted by the billing system, the billing system can interpret thesefields as identifying the service zone for an IP-based wirelesscommunication.

Service Zones, Types and Subscribers

FIG. 3A is a conceptual diagram (300) illustrating the mappings betweenservice zones 310, service types 320 and subscribers 330 in accordancewith some embodiments. Each of the service zones 310 is mapped to one ormore service types 320. Each service zone can include one or more accesspoints. The access points can be designated in any appropriate way aspreviously described (IP address, MAC address, FQDN, etc.). Each servicezone is mapped to a service type. A service type defines a collection ofone or more service zones. Service types can be used to delineate theareas and rating schemes associated with a particular billing rate plan.Individual subscribers are assigned to a service type so thatcommunications originating from a subscriber over an IP-based wirelesstelecommunications network are properly rated.

FIG. 3B is a conceptual diagram illustrating the mapping of servicezones to access points. A first service zone (service zone 1, 311)includes access points 301-303. A second service zone (service zone 2,312) includes access points 304-308. A third service zone (service zone3, 313) includes access points 306-307. A fourth service zone (servicezone 4, 314) includes access points 304-305. A fifth service zone(service zone 5, 315) includes access points 305, 308 and 309. Someservice zones are independent of the other service zones (e.g., 311),while other service zones are enclosed by another service zone (e.g.,313). In some instances, service zones can overlap (e.g., 312, 314, and315).

FIG. 3C is a conceptual diagram illustrating the mapping of servicetypes to service zones. A group 320 of three service types 321-323 areillustrated. Service type 1 (321) includes service zones 1 and 3.Service type 2 (322) includes service zones 2 and 5. Service type 3(323) includes service zones 1 through 5. As illustrated, any number ofzones can be mapped to a service type, and each zone can be the memberof more than one service type.

FIG. 3D is a conceptual diagram illustrating the mapping of subscribersto service types. A group 330 of four subscribers 331-334 areillustrated. The first subscriber (subscriber 1, 331) and the secondsubscriber (subscriber 2, 332) are both associated with service type 1.The third subscriber (subscriber 3, 333) is associated with service type3, while the fourth subscriber (subscriber 4, 334) is associated withservice type 2. As illustrated, multiple subscribers can subscribe tothe same service type, or to different service types. Each service typeis associated with a billing rate plan for IP-based wirelesscommunications.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a particularsubscriber and various service types and service zones. In particular,subscriber 4 (334) is graphically illustrated as enrolling in servicetype 2 (322), which includes service zone 2 (312 and service zone 5(315). The various lines further illustrate that service types can sharecommon service zones. For example, service type 1 (321) includes servicezones 311 and 313, while service type 3 (323) includes service zones311-315.

Example Communication Interaction

FIG. 5A is a diagram 500 illustrating communication interactions forregistering a mobile device in a service zone onto an IP-based wirelesstelecommunications network. The communication registration process isillustrated by communication steps 501-506, while the communicationprocess is illustrated by communication steps 507-510.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a communication is initiated when a mobile device110 requests to register with the security gateway (SGW) 162 over theIP-based wireless access network 150 at step 501. SGW 162 replies withan authentication challenge that is communicated back to the mobiledevice 110 at step 502. At step 503, the mobile device 110 responds tothe authentication challenge with a response that is communicated to SGW162. Also at step 503, SGW 162 communicates a public IP address assignedto the access point to the network controller (NC) 166. The mobiledevice 110 also communicates the mobile device or subscriber identifier,SSID and a CGI record to the SGW 162. At step 504, the SGW 162 transmitsthe mobile device or subscriber identifier, CGI along with the SSID, MACaddress, and FQDN from the access point that is in communication to theNC 166. NC 166 queries database 168 at step 504, including indexingparameters such as mobile device or subscriber identifier, IP address,MAC address, and FDQN. At step 505, database 168 replies withinformation that can be used with a CDR including the service zoneidentifier associated with the access point. At step 506, NC 166communicates a registration completion to the mobile device 110.

Once the registration is completed, mobile device 110 can communicatewith NC 166 to request a communication as illustrated by step 507. Atstep 508, NC 166 communicates the service zone identifier to switch 192(e.g., by overloading a pre-existing field of the CGI), where the switchcan generate a CDR that includes fields for the mobile device orsubscriber identifier, a service zone identifier, and any otherpertinent CGI information. Switch 192 authorizes the communication atstep 509 such that the mobile device 110 can communicate over acommunication channel that is established through switch 192 at step510.

FIG. 5B is a diagram 520 illustrating communication interactions forusing service zone information to generate a bill for an IP-basedwireless telecommunication. The bill generation process is illustratedby communication steps 511-512, which commences when the communicationis terminated.

As shown in FIG. 5B, when the communication is terminated at step 511,switch 192 communicates a CDR to billing system 280, where the CDRincludes fields for a mobile device or subscriber identifier, CGI, starttime, end time, and service zone. At step 512, the billing systemextracts the service zone identifier and the mobile device or subscriberidentifier from the CDR. At step 513 billing system 280 queries database168 with the mobile device or subscriber identifier as the key index.Database 168 replies with a rate plan that can be designated by aservice type. At step 515 the communication is rated based on the rateplan and the service zone that was accessed for the communication. Atstep 516 a bill is generated from the billing system 280 that reflectsthe rated communication.

Example Process Flows

FIG. 6A is a flow chart 600 illustrating a logic flow for registering amobile device in a service zone onto an IP-based network. Theregistration process, which is similar to that described above for FIG.5A, is illustrated by process steps 601-614.

At step 601 the registration request is received. A challenge istransmitted to the mobile device 110 at step 602. At step 603 the systemreceives a response to the challenge from the mobile device 110. At step604, the response from the mobile device 110 is evaluated. Processingcontinues from step 604 to step 605 when the response in unacceptable,where the request is rejected. Otherwise, processing continues from step604 to step 606.

At step 606, a network controller (NC) 166 is assigned to handle theconnection. Proceeding to step 607, the public IP address associatedwith the access point 142 that the mobile device 110 used to access thenetwork is communicated to the NC 166. At step 608 the SSID, MAC addressand FQDN from the access point are communicated to the NC 166, alongwith the mobile device or subscriber identifier and CGI information fromthe mobile device 110. At step 609 the information received at the NC166 is evaluated to determine if access to the network is granted.Processing flows from step 609 to step 605 when access is denied.Otherwise, processing continues from step 609 to step 611 when access isallowed.

At step 611, a key index is used to query the database 168, where thekey index can be any one of: the MAC address, the IP address and theFQDN from the access point. The database 168 retrieves a service zoneidentifier based on the key index at step 612. In step 613, the servicezone identifier is stored at the NC 166 such as by overloading a fieldfrom the CDR. At step 614, the registration authorization is transmittedto the mobile device 110.

FIG. 6B is a flow chart 620 illustrating a logic flow for initiating acommunication with a registered mobile device 110 that accesses anIP-based communication through a service zone. The communicationprocess, which is similar to that described above for FIG. 5A, isillustrated by process steps 621-627.

At step 621 the communication request is received by the networkcontroller (NC) 166. Proceeding to step 622, the service zone identifieris transmitted from the NC 166 to the switch 192 (e.g., by overloading aCGI field), where the switch generates a CDR that includes the servicezone identifier encoded therein. Processing continues from step 622 tostep 623 where the information is evaluated to determine if thecommunication is allowed. Processing flows from step 623 to step 628when the communication is rejected. Otherwise, processing continues fromstep 623 to step 624.

At step 624, the communication is authorized. Flowing to step 625, thecommunication is facilitated such as by transferring IP packets for thecommunication through the wireless IP network to the switch 192. At step626, the communication is continually monitored to determine if thecommunication has been completed (terminated) such as by a communicationhang-up or via an inadvertently dropped communication. Processingcontinues to step 625 when the communication is ongoing, or to step 627when the communication has been completed. At step 627 the CDR istransmitted from the switch 192 to the billing system 280, where the CDRincludes the service zone identifier encoded therein.

FIG. 6C is a diagram 630 illustrating a logic flow for using servicezone information to generate a bill for an IP-based wirelesscommunication. The bill generation process, which is similar to thatdescribed above for FIG. 5B, is illustrated by process steps 631-636.

At step 631 the CDR is received from the switch 192 in the billingsystem, where the CDR includes the service zone identifier encodedtherein. The service zone identifier and the mobile device or subscriberidentifier is extracted from the CDR at step 632. Proceeding to step633, the database 168 is queried using the mobile device or subscriberidentifier as a key index. The rate plan is retrieved from the database168 and returned to the billing system 280 at step 634, where thebilling system 280 receives the rate plan. Continuing to step 635 thecompleted communication is rated based on the rate plan and the servicezone identifier. A bill is generated at step 636 for the ratedcommunication.

As previously described, billing system 280 is arranged to extract theservice zone ID from CDR 278 after the communication has concluded. Eachcommunication includes a mobile device or subscriber identifier, and astart time and a stop time for the communication. The service zoneidentifier 274 can be embedded into the CDR either in the CGI field, orin some other field of the CDR as may be desired. When the billingsystem 280 evaluates the CDR, the billing system will access one or moredatabases 168 (e.g., see above) to identify the subscribers billing plan(e.g., service type) and apply an appropriate billing policy based onthe service zone that was used for the communication.

The following databases implementations are provided as an exampleimplementation of database fields and keying indexes that may beemployed by a billing and rating system. Although described below asthree separate databases, any number of the databases can be combined orseparated into additional or fewer databases without departing from thescope of the present disclosure. The below examples are provided as anillustration of some examples.

Example Database Implementations

Database 168 can be a service zone database that is indexed by Zone andorganized as follows:

Field Name Data Type Notes Zone Number Unique Integer The database key.Zone IP address range, The zone is defined and or MAC address keyed offof this field. range, or FQDN The value can be a single range value or arange of values. CDR Field Text This is a value field that communicatesthe service zone identifier to the switch Service Zone Text and Text,Icon This is the string and Icon numeric indicator for the mobile deviceto display when connected to the service zone

As illustrated above, each service zone can include one or more accesspoints. The access points are used to key the service zone using the“zone” field as the keying index for this database. The zone field canbe a IP address, a MAC address or an FQDN address for an access point.The “zone” field can be arranged to key off of single values and valuesfound within a range. For example, any access point with an IP addressfound within a specified range is considered within the scope of a zone.

The service zone identifier can be stored in a field of the CDR that isdesignated as “CDR Field”. This permits a flexible design that canaccommodate existing CDR records to minimize impact on existing switchequipment.

Each service zone can have a text string and/or a graphical icon that isdisplayed on the subscriber's communication device when connected to theidentified zone. This field provides further flexibility in customizingthe interface and the graphical feedback provided to a user.

Database 168 can be a service type database that is indexed by servicetype and organized as follows:

Field Name Data Type Notes Service Type Unique Integer The database key.Zone Number(s) Zone Number The zone number can be a single number ormultiple numbers. Each number can correspond to a database key from theservice zone database described above.

Each service type is assigned to any number of service zones, which eachinclude any number of access points. The “Zone Number” field provides alist of zones that are designated by a particular service type. Someservice types can include multiple service zones, while others can be asingle service zone. Service types can be bundled based on any desiredcriteria such as, for example, all wireless access points for a chain ofrestaurants can be designated as a single zone or a single service type.

Database 168 can be a subscribers database that is indexed by the mobiledevice or subscriber identifier and organized as follows:

Field Name Data Type Notes Mobile Device or Unique Value The databasekey Subscriber Identifier (e.g. IMSI ID) Service Type Integer Indicatesthe service type assigned to the mobile device. UI Wrapper MAC address,CGI value, Indicates a MAC Service Zone Text, address/CGI pair and theDescriptor Text, Wave Service Zone text, File descriptor and sound byteto send to the mobile device Time Zone Integer This value indicates thetime zone that a communication occurred for billing purposes. The CGILAC field can be overloaded in one example.

Each subscriber is assigned to a service type, which is retrieved by aquery using the mobile or subscriber identifier as the key index. Thetime zone associated with the mobile device is also assigned so thatbilling rates based on time of day can be properly applied.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theembodiments. Although the subject matter has been described in languagespecific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to beunderstood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims and embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented method for facilitatingbilling of IP-based communications from a mobile device over a convergedcellular network and an IP-based wireless access network, thecomputer-implemented method comprising: receiving a call detail recordafter an IP-based communication is completed, wherein the IP-basedcommunication is for communicating data, including voice information,using one of multiple access points, and wherein sets of the multipleaccess points form different, defined service zones; extracting a mobiledevice identifier associated with a subscriber from the call detailrecord; extracting a service zone identifier from the call detailrecord, wherein the service zone identifier is associated with one ofthe defined service zones where the mobile device obtained access to theconverged cellular network through the IP-based wireless network,wherein the service zone identifier is separate from a cell globalidentifier (CGI) for a cell site to which the mobile device is connectedor was connected, and wherein the service zone identifier is associatedwith one of two or more different billing rates; comparing the servicezone identifier to the identified service zones; and determining a billrate associated with the call detail record at least partially based onthe comparison.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: mapping the subscriber to a service type via a subscriberdatabase.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: mapping a service type to one or more service zones via aservice type database.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: mapping the service zone to one or more accesspoints via a service zones database, wherein the service zone is forrepresenting a virtual cell for a corresponding access point with thevirtual cell modeling a cell for a cellular telecommunications network.5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the service zonesinclude preferred zones.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein: the call detail record includes a start time, a stop time, anda time zone; and determining the billing rate is partially based on thestart time, the stop time, and the time zone, with the billing ratespecific to the multiple access points and the mobile device identifier.7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the service zoneidentifier is keyed to at least one of: a Media Access Control (MAC)address; a range of MAC addresses; a fully qualified domain name (FQDN);or an IP address.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcontaining instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,cause a billing system to implement a billing method for a convergedcellular network and IP based wireless access network, the billingmethod comprising: identifying a service zone identifier from anoverloaded variable in a received call detail record for representing anIP-based communication exchanging data, including voice information,using one of multiple access points, wherein sets of the multiple accesspoints form different, defined service zones, wherein the service zoneidentifier is associated with one of the defined service zones where amobile device obtained access to the converged cellular network throughan IP-based wireless network, wherein the service zone identifier isseparate from a cell global identifier (CGI) for a cell site to whichthe mobile device is connected or was connected, and wherein the servicezone identifier is associated with one of two or more different billingrates; and determining a bill rate associated with the call detailrecord at least partially based on a subscriber identifier for themobile device.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim8, wherein the service zones include preferred zones.
 10. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein: the calldetail record includes a start time, a stop time, and a time zone; anddetermining the billing rate partially based on the start time, the stoptime, and the time zone, with the billing rate specific to the multipleaccess points and the mobile device identifier.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining the billingrate includes querying a subscriber identification database.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein determiningthe billing rate includes querying a service type database.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein at least oneof the service zones is associated with more than one access point andfor representing a virtual cell for associated access points with thevirtual cell modeling a cell for a cellular telecommunications network.14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein theservice zone identifier is keyed to: a Media Access Control (MAC)address; a range of MAC addresses; a fully qualified domain name (FQDN);or an IP address.
 15. A system for facilitating call detail recordbilling in a converged cellular network and an IP-based wireless accessnetwork, the system comprising: a billing system that receives a calldetail record after an IP-based communication is completed, wherein thecall detail record includes a subscriber identifier for a mobile device,and wherein the call detail record is for representing an IP-basedcommunication for communicating data, including voice information, usingmultiple access points; a processor configured to determine a servicezone identifier from an overloaded variable in the call detail record,wherein sets of the multiple access points form different, definedservice zones, wherein the service zone identifier is associated withone of the defined service zones where the mobile device obtained accessto the converged cellular network through the IP-based wireless network,wherein the service zone identifier is separate from a cell globalidentifier (CGI) for a cell site to which the mobile device is connectedor was connected, and wherein the service zone identifier is associatedwith one of two or more different billing rates; and a processorconfigured to determine a billing rate associated with the call detailrecord partially based on the subscriber identifier.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the service zones include preferred zones.
 17. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein: the call detail record includes a starttime, a stop time, and a time zone; and the processor is furtherconfigured to determine the billing rate partially based on the starttime, the stop time, and the time zone, with the billing rate specificto the multiple access points and the mobile device identifier.
 18. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the service zone identifier is keyed to: aMedia Access Control (MAC) address; a range of MAC addresses; a fullyqualified domain name (FQDN); or an IP address.
 19. The billing systemof claim 15, wherein the billing component is further configured toquery a subscriber identification database, a service type database, ora combination thereof.
 20. The billing system of claim 15, wherein eachof the service zones is for representing a virtual cell for one or moreaccess points corresponding thereto, with the virtual cell modeling acell for a cellular telecommunications network.